The next of the Princes of Elemental Evil is Ogremoch. The least subtle of all of the archomentals, the Stone Tyrant seeks to inspire and create a great juggernaut of evil who will spread destruction throughout his home plane and many others, although as yet none of his attempts have met with his own satisfaction.
Ogremoch (PDF Version)
(Prince of Evil Earth Creatures, the Stone Tyrant, the Archomental of Evil Earth, Master of Black Earth)
Near Power of Elemental Earth, NE
Portfolio: Elemental earth, hardness, supremacy of earth, crushing, destruction by earth, earthquakes, landslides
Aliases: None
Domain Name: Elemental Plane of Earth/Stonemire
Superior: None
Allies: The Elder Elemental God
Foes: Entemoch, Geb, Sunnis, Unguliustûk, Yan-C-Bin, the dwarven and gnomish pantheons
Symbol: Jagged crack in a flat surface representing an earthquake
Wor. Align.: LE, NE, CE
The least subtle of all the archomentals, Ogremoch (oh-GREH-mock) holds that raw power should rule. He is known as the Stone Tyrant for his propensity to wander the Plane of Elemental Earth and intimidating, commanding, and enslaving the denizens. He believes earth should rule over all the elements, and crush anything that opposes this domination as he crushes creatures beneath his mighty fists.
Ogremoch maintains a large domain on the plane of Elemental Earth from which he makes forays in order to expand his influence and search for exemplars of evil. Besides domination of the plane of Earth and all of the inner planes, the Stone Tyrant wishes to find an individual of such malice that he can carve him into a terrifying juggernaut of destruction. His disappointments can be found wandering the plane, some insane and others not, but all of terrifying power, yet none have met with Ogremoch’s satisfaction. Herein lies the origin of his cult, for many have sought out the Master of Black Earth in hopes of being worthy, and not all have felt dismay when found lacking. Those who stayed on in Ogremoch’s domain assumed the search as well, fervently believing that while they themselves were unworthy, someone out there would live up to their master’s ambition.
While the Stone Tyrant is widely regarded as an offspring of the Elder Elemental God, there are some who hold he is instead the son of Grumbar himself. These latter stories include a claim that Ogremoch has a twin by the name of Entemoch, himself an archomental of good. Whether this is true or confusion regarding the existence of Sunnis is unknown, but most sages hold that there can be no more than two archomentals of a single element at a time. Similarly, another entity that claims archomental status is Unguliustûk; he is only known to work through agents and so his true status is unknown. Speculation holds that he is an evil twin of Sunnis, mirroring Ogremoch and Entemoch, or else he is a lieutenant of the Stone Tyrant or one of his more powerful “failures” who has set himself up as a minor power on the plane. Regardless of the truth behind Ogremoch’s relations to these powerful entities, the Master of Black Earth is said to have a close connection with the Elder Elemental God even if that hidden power is not his sire.
Of all of Ogremoch’s foes, none are more prominent that Sunnis, the Princess of Elemental Good on the plane of Earth. She opposes his tyranny steadfastly and the pair have met in battle numerous times; the whole of the plane is said to shudder from the blows of their fists when they meet in battle. As yet, neither has been able to defeat the other, and many sages speculate the Stone Tyrant’s search for a truly evil creature he can elevate in power is part of his plan to defeat his rival. Such is his hatred of Sunnis that he makes few moves against his other foes, be they on the plane of Earth or elsewhere, although this is not to say he ignores them. Instead, he keeps a watch to ensure they do not outflank him, and takes only necessary actions to counter their influence. Such is the directness of Ogremoch; so long as Sunnis exists, the others are safe enough from direct actions that only their plans and minions are in danger from the Master of the Black Earth. Sages speculate Yan-C-bin is second on his list of enemies, but others point out it could easily be Geb or a member of the dwarven or gnomish pantheons who would bear the brunt of his villainy should he eliminate Sunnis.
Despite his focus on Sunnis, Ogremoch has been known to be a fairly frequent visitor to the Prime Material Plane. Sages often speculate it is part of his plan to empower the greatest villain known, while others suspect it has more to do with disrupting the plans of his rivals. He is said to accept summonings fairly easily especially when they come with the possibility of wreaking havoc on goodly races that dwell beneath the earth.
Ogremoch’s Form (20-HD Earth Elemental)
Ogremoch appears as a 10-foot-tall rocky humanoid with eyes that gleam like chipped obsidian and skin that glints with flakes of mica. Full details of his physical form can be found in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III. Should Ogremoch become a demipower or more powerful, he is likely to continue to use a modified version of this form for some time.
Other Manifestations
While it is believed that the Archomental of Evil Earth has the power to manifest his power to assist his followers, he has never been known to do so. He prefers direct, open action to subtlety. Instead, he communicates to his followers, when he cares to do so, through omen dreams of earth-based calamities such as rockslides, earthquakes, and the like; the specific details indicate the message the Stone Tyrant wishes to convey. While followers must interpret these details to determine the message, they are generally fairly direct.
Ogremoch is served primarily by earth elementals and earth weirds, but has also been known to work through the actions of chaggrin (elemental grue), crawlers (elemental vermin), crysmals, dao, earth fundamentals, earth mephits, earth plasms, galeb duhr, khargra, sandmen, umber hulks, xaren, and xorn. He expresses his favor through the discovery of recent rockslides and other erosion events that reveal new, hidden passages that allow followers to circumvent foes or other dangers, as well as rocks and stones in inexplicable situations, such as a chunk of obsidian jutting out of a sandstone wall. His displeasure is revealed in tremors and falling rocks that risk the life or health of a follower.
The Church
Clergy: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, shamans, wizards
Clergy’s Align.: LE, NE, CE
Turn Undead: C: No, SP: No, Cru: No, Sha: No, W: No
Cmnd. Undead: C: Yes, SP: No, Cru: No, Sha: No, W: No
All clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, and shamans of the Prince of Evil Earth receive religion (Ogremoch) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. As Ogremoch is only a near-power, he can only grant 3rd-level spells to his followers on the Prime; if he appears in person, or for those on the Elemental Plane of Earth, he is able to grant 4th-level spells as well.
While not small, the church of the Archomental of Evil Earth is more or less ignored by its patron, even on the Plane of Earth. His followers do the work of expanding its influence with little direction from Ogremoch, focusing primarily on those creatures that live within the earth on the Prime Material Plane. Beyond these creatures, his faith attracts those who wish to use the power of the earth to enrich themselves and undermine their rivals and foes. Little known to surface folk, the name of Ogremoch is widely feared by those who live within the Underdark.
While no standard temple or shrine architecture exists across the small and widely dispersed cults of the Stone Tyrant, they are invariably built in natural caves or underground. Building elements and styles tend to follow the cultural norms of local cult, often with fanciful depictions of the Plane of Earth and Ogremoch crushing his foes. Valuable materials are also commonly used for altars or votive relics. Heavy stone doors typically grant entrance to cultic center, both for defense and to create loud stone-grinding sounds; when secrecy is needed, these sounds are instead made by members of the cult by rubbing small, flat, hand-sized stones together during ceremonies.
On the Prime Material Plane, Ogremoch’s cult is composed of isolated cells that organize themselves as they see fit, with little similarity between them. On the Plane of Earth, however, followers of the Stone Tyrant have an organized hierarchy, which they are slowly trying to impose on Prime cultic groups. Among these groups, novices of the Archomental of Evil Earth are called Gravelings, while full priests are called Megaliths. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Ogremoch’s clergy are Scouring Sand, Grinding Gravel, Tumbling Stone, Rolling Boulder, Crushing Avalanche, and Quaking Earth. As yet there are not enough high ranking members of the clergy to warrant unique titles, but that is likely to change in the future. Specialty priests are called groundpounders. Like the other archomentals, shamans (77%) dominate the Prime Material priesthood of the Stone Tyrant; clerics (10%), wizards (7%), specialty priests (5%), and crusaders (1%) make up the remainder, most of whom are found on the Plane of Elemental Earth. On the Prime Material Plane, most of Ogremoch’s clergy consists of umber hulks (41%), goblin-kin (such as orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and kobolds; 22%), giants (especially fomorians, hill giants, mountain giants, and stone giants; 11%), dwarves and gnomes (8%), humans (7%), galeb duhr (2%), and other mountainous and subterranean races (5%); on the Elemental Plane of Earth, earth genasi (2%), shads (1%), and other planar races (1%) can also be found in the clergy ranks. Gender breakdown of the priesthood generally follows the preferences of any given racial group that composes the majority of a cultic cell; where there is no preference, males (63%) tend to outnumber females (37%) by a large margin.
Dogma: Earth stops air, fills and absorbs water, and smothers fire. Earth can be an impenetrable shield or collapse and crush, be built upon as a stable support or shake everything down, and so is the strongest element of them all. Let the power of earth be your millstone that grinds your foes to dust.
Day-to-Day Activities: Members of the Stone Tyrant’s cult tend to be rebellious members of society who wish to rule with a fist of stone, destroying those who oppose them without a single thought. They believe utterly in the rightness of their convictions and brook no dispute. They work in secret to undermine the normal authority of their communities with the goal of putting their cult in charge; should they manage to gain power, they operate as pure tyrants, although not necessarily arbitrary ones.
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: No holy days are recognized by all cults of the Master of Evil Earth. Each local cult creates holy days based on events they believe were influenced by Ogremoch, such as earthquakes that bring ruination upon their enemies. They are also known to co-op local festivals or holy days when they gain dominance over a community. Finally, any appearance by the Stone Tyrant is grounds for a new holy day commemorating his appearance.
Major Centers of Worship: No wide-spread sites of pilgrimages are known to the church of Ogremoch due to individual cells having little to no contact with each other.
Affiliated Orders: On the Elemental Plane of Earth, a small sect of crusaders known as the Fists of the Black Earth is attached to the main cult of Ogremoch in Stonemire. This group, consisting mainly of earth genasi and dwarves, roves out across the plane in order to enforce the rule of the Stone Tyrant wherever he claims dominion. They also operate as an elite fighting force against those who follow Sunnis.
Priestly Vestments: The types of raiment worn by members of the Stone Tyrant’s cult is typically adopted from other local religious garb, with colors altered to be earth tones. The primary color tends to be dark grey, dark brown, or black, with fringes or accents of muddy yellow or ochre. The holy symbol used by these cults is always an inscribed disc of stone or metal. With a symbol representing an earthquake.
Adventuring Garb: Ogremoch’s followers prefer to be heavily armed and armored when traveling or engaging in combat. When wearing armor, they only wear that is substantially composed of metal; given the choice between leather or no armor, they will choose no armor. Weapons favored are those adapted from mining or digging implements, or those that operate by brute force and weight. Military picks, maces, and morning stars are common among the priesthood.
Specialty Priests (Groundpounders)
Requirements: Strength 12, Constitution 13, Wisdom 10
Prime Req.: Strength, Wisdom
Alignment: NE
Weapons: Military pick, spade, and all bludgeoning (wholly or partially Type-B) weapons
Armor: Any partially or wholly metallic, plus shields
Major Spheres: All, astral, combat, elemental (earth), healing (reversed only), protection, summoning
Minor Spheres: Animal (burrowing only), elemental (fire, water)
Magical Items: Same as clerics
Req. Profs: Blind-fighting
Bonus Profs: Intimidation (Strength-based)
- Groundpounders can be of any flightless race capable of becoming priests, although most are earth genasi, galeb duhr, shad, and umber hulks. Until Ogremoch becomes a true power, only those trained by another specialty priest or those who travel to the Elemental Plane of Earth to train directly with him or his servants can become a specialty priest.
- Groundpounders are not allowed to multiclass.
- Groundpounders make all saving throws against earth and stone attacks with a +2 bonus. Further, they are more resilient against impacts from earth and stone, suffering one less damage per die (to a minimum of 1) from falls, landslides, collapsed ceilings, falling boulders, and the like. This benefit only applies to situations involving unworked earth and stone. A fall onto ice or metal, or the collapse of a castle wall upon the groundpounder deals normal damage.
- Groundpounders are considered to have expertise in pummeling if the rules in Player’s Option: Combat & Tactics are used.
- Groundpounders can cast wizard spells from the school of elemental earth as described in the Limited Wizard Spellcasting section of “Appendix 1: Demihuman Priests” in Demihuman Deities.
- Groundpounders can cast command (as the 1st-level priest spell) or fist of stone (as the 1st-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 3rd level, groundpounders can cast Maximilian’s earthen grasp or pit (as the 2nd-level wizard spells) once per day.
- At 5th level, groundpounders can cast Maximilian’s stony grasp (as the 3rd-level wizard spell) or meld into stone (as the 3rd-level priest spell) once per day.
- At 7th level, groundpounders can cast earthmaw (as the 4th-level priest spell) or fear (as the 4th-level wizard spell) once per day. Currently, this power is limited to those groundpounders who operate on the Elemental Plane of Earth; should Ogremoch eventually become a demipower, this and the other powers listed hereafter will become available.
- At 9th level, groundpounders are immune to harmful earth and stone magic, and suffer one less damage per die from all attacks made with worked or unworked stone (but not metal or crystal), including thrown stones, boulders, sling stones, and stone weapons. Further, their protection against falls, landslides, and collapses improves, so that they suffer half damage and protection extends to all falls and collapses of even worked stone. They suffer an additional +1 point of damage per die from all air, wind, and gas attacks, however.
- At 10th level, groundpounders can summon 1d4 earth mephits or sandlings who serve faithfully, even laying down their lives, for 6 turns. The creatures appear anywhere designated within a 30-yard radius on the round after the summoning. This summoning can be performed once per week.
- At 16th level, groundpounders can summon a 16-HD earth elemental once per week. The elemental is utterly loyal, and control cannot be wrested by another spellcaster. The elemental serves for one turn per caster level, until dismissed by the caster, or until dispelled by the appropriate magic.
Ogremochan Spells
2nd Level
Accretion Disc (Pr 2; Conjuration/Summoning)
Sphere: Elemental Earth
Range: 5 yds./level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: None
By means of this spell, the caster conjures a small disc of clay or mud that he can hurl at a target. The disc is about the same size as a buckler shield, and has great accuracy at distance, suffering no penalties for range. Further, all attacks with this disc ignore armor, although modifiers from Dexterity, magic (including magical plusses), and shields apply. When this disc strikes a creature, it expands to partially cover them with a sticky, muddy accretion. This accretion adds substantially to the target creature’s encumbrance, immediately shifting them to the next encumbrance category. For example, an unencumbered creature becomes lightly encumbered, a lightly encumbered creature becomes moderately encumbered, etc. Every 3 additional levels the caster has achieved reduces the target’s encumbrance by a further encumbrance category. For example, a 6th level caster reduces an unencumbered creature to moderate encumbrance, and a 9th level caster reduces the same target to heavy encumbrance. Creatures encumbered to a point where their movement is halved suffer a −1 penalty to attack rolls. Those reduced to ⅓ movement suffer attack roll penalties of −2 and an AC penalty of +1. Creatures reduced to a Movement Rating of 1 suffer a −4 penalty to attacks and a +3 penalty to AC. Further, flying creatures reduced to half movement can no longer fly, but can make a careful landing; those reduced beyond this movement must make a saving throw versus paralyzation or crash to the ground, suffering full falling damage.
The mud can be removed by scraping it off, which takes one full round of doing nothing else per encumbrance category it adds. The mud is dissolved in one round when completely submersed in water, and if exposed to magical heat or fire, it dries out and flakes off the round following. If not removed manually, the mud persists on the target for one round per level of the caster.
The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a fist-sized ball of thick mud or clay.
3rd Level
Animal of the Earth (Pr 3; Alteration)
Sphere: Elemental Earth
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 3 rds. + 1 rd./level
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: None
With this spell, the caster is able to form an animal from the earth and stone at their feet. The animal follows basic commands of the priest, such as attacking foes or carrying burdens. It is unable to perform complex tasks or tricks, however. Only normal animals can be created with this spell, and the caster can create any animal they are familiar with, limited to Hit Dice equal to half their own level, rounded up. For example, a 5th level caster can create a wild boar out of undressed earth or stone. The animal created has the THAC0 and physical attacks of the form it matches but gains no special attacks or defenses of the animal, nor does it have any special movement types other than burrowing; a bird created out of earth cannot fly for example. In addition, because of its composition, the earthen animal has an Armor Class of 2 regardless of the AC of original form.
The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a small carving of the animal to be created, which is not consumed in the casting of the spell.
Protection of Rock (Pr 3; Alteration)
Sphere: Elemental Earth
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: The caster
Saving Throw: None
When this spell is cast, the caster gains protection exactly duplicating that of the stoneskin spell. Unlike that spell, the protection only lasts so long as the caster remains in contact with earth or stone. Normal walking and running does not break the protection of this spell, but jumping, leaping, flying, or levitating does break the spell. In addition, this spell only grants protection against 1d3+1 attacks by blow, cut, or missile, and unused charges expire after 1 hour.
The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a pinch of powdered granite.